When Gundam Pilots Lose
by PinkWhirlWind
Summary: A battle goes badly and Heero goes to great length to try to save Duo


When Gundam Pilots Lose  
  
By Nix Winter  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own these characters or the world they live in. I think Bandai does.  
  
Notes: written for the 1x2 list just cuz they're cool  
  
Warnings: Just a fun little story, hope it's enjoyable. *bows*  
  
'I'm falling, slowly spinning towards Earth. Graceful decent, yeah. I rock.' Duo hung in the harness of his Gundam, eyes closed, lips parted. Deathscythe Hell's wings spread over the rushing air like metal lace, delicate as tattered demon wings, delicate as some fragile living thing that could not hold back the rage of nature. Huge metal fingers released and the green glowing scythe dropped, falling away faster without the drag of the ruined wings.  
  
Heero watched it spiral away like a gothic pinwheel, some deadly green toy until it lost power in the clouds. Wing's feathers ruffled, almost as if it too were a living creature, a dove watching it's only mate fall from the sky. The battle seemed to hold as Deathscythe dragged Duo towards Earth, or maybe that was only Heero's perception. The warrior in Heero did not believe that he would have made the same choice that Duo Maxwell had. The warrior in Heero Yuy did not believe he would have blocked a missile with his own Gundam.  
  
The man in Heero Yuy hung there inside of his own Gundam, watching the incoming data flow about Duo's Gundam. Deathscythe had lost propulsion. Deathscythe had lost air circulation. Soldier and man debated for another three seconds as the black demon Gundam fell. The Gundam would provide reentry and impact protection, mostly enough to see Duo alive to the ground. He would suffocate before he got there.  
  
Mission adjust. Peace came from having someone to go home to, someone to love, something to dream of. It was maybe ten seconds since the missile damaged Deathscythe. He and Duo could fight to free people, fight oppression and tyranny, lies and violence, but Heero could not fight without Duo. Not while he could fight to save him.  
  
Zero's wings folded in and the great white Gundam dove.  
  
'Heero's eyes are blue,' Duo thought, 'Blue like the tropical sky. Saw that once. Yeah.' He didn't speak, didn't remember that this was the last of his air, but knew he shouldn't speak. There wasn't anyone to hear him anyway. 'Heero. I can't get hurt falling into your eyes, can I? Naaaa, Heero, kiss me? Kiss me now?'  
  
Deathscythe fell head first now, faster than Heero had calculated as the wings were nothing but spines now. Zero's wings drew in tighter, jets fired. Fly like you've got nothing to lose. Faster than fools on someone's payroll, faster than people with rank on their shoulders, Zero disappeared into the clouds after Deathscythe.  
  
Gundanium to gundanium sparks flew into the clouds as wing took hold of Deathscythe's arms. Chest to chest, cockpit door against cockpit door, air bubble to nothing with no way to cross, the two gundams spun, white wings out and slowing the decent, angel embracing demon. Heero's fingers flew over the controls. Docking hooks grabbed to Deathscythe, even as Heero examined diagrams he had already memorized of Duo's Gundam. The damaged part in Duo's life support was the same from both of their gundams and unique, one of a kind. There was only one. Out of the clouds, Earth came into view. Heero opened com between them, "Duo! Duo!"  
  
The soldier in him knew that the braided sunshine of his mornings would be sleeping now though. Duo wasn't though. Violet eyes, just barely open enough to be slits, came more aware when hearing Heero's voice. 'Falling into Heero's eyes,' Duo thought, unable to pick his hand up to reach the com button, unable to reply. 'Hope I hit in the water, blue tropical waters with little colorful fish.'  
  
Mission success parameters required two survivals and the possibility of repair for at least one, if not both of the gundams. Decision made.  
  
Heero released the docking clam on one side of Duo's Gundam. The two fell, connected only by two clamps and the spinning propulsion of Zero that kept them from plunging straight down. Duo wasn't wearing a suit and Heero knew it, which meant they had to be at a low enough altitude that the cold wouldn't kill him the moment Heero opened the hatch, but it had to be done soon enough that Duo wouldn't be brain dead from suffocation when the hatch was opened. Heero the man hated the calculations that Heero the soldier could make, just cold numbers, odds of survival, best odds.  
  
Falling, air around them like a storm of razors, Heero turned Zero so the wings could block cold and wind and cracked open his own hatch. Timing, reflexes found him on Duo's hatch. Cold, even through his suit, Heero's fingers fumbled with the emergency release. The docking clamp creaked audibly from where Heero was. When cold air rushed into Duo's cockpit the braided rebel lay still as a fallen leaf, mouth open, eyes open. Cold air blued skin fast, and Heero ripped the harness free, rushing. Dangling from one gloved fist, Heero thought Duo weighed nothing, nothing but chest nut braid and stilled laughter. He kicked off, dragging Duo to his own cockpit, cradling him in his arms as the seal reformed and warm air filled the cockpit.  
  
Heero disengaged the docking clamps and Deathscythe dropped away, spilling down away from the angel Gundam like a broken doll. He flung his helmet off and forced air into the doll in his arms. Warm love and longing kissed into cold abandoned lungs, Heero willed it to be enough, willed the reckless man in his arms to breath, to sputter, to do something stupid.  
  
With one arm he held Duo, with the other he programmed landing coordinates. They'd easily outrun the battle they'd been in. Even Gundam pilots lost a battle occasionally, but some battles were more important than others. When Duo gasped, raking in air, Heero embraced him with both arms, the Heero the man taking a breath with him.  
  
They set down in the tropical safehouse, on a beach with sand as white as Zero's wings. As long as Duo was breathing, warm and alive in Heero's arms, Heero was sure the rest would work out. The soldier in him wanted to go back to the battle, back to the mission that was, but sometimes the man is stronger than the soldier. 


End file.
